How to Succeed at University (or College)

“1. Be clear to yourself about what you want to get from the university.

Some people, in the dominant socioeconomic class, just assume that university is a necessary part of life. But why is it necessary? If you think it is, articulate that; write it down in your own words, challenge it before accepting it, and discuss it with others.

2. Take ownership of your university experience.

Much of the thrill of university, for many, derives from the experience of being in a setting where nobody is monitoring them. “Thrill” is an experience that involves a mix of joy and fear. Yes, it’s joyful to be in a situation where you are making your own choices, but it’s also frightening. Seek advice from whomever you wish—from other students, from faculty advisors, from counselors, and even from your parents if they can offer it dispassionately in a way that respects you as the final decider—but remember that the decision is yours. Part of taking responsibility at university is reading carefully and understanding all the rules and regulations, what you need to do to get a degree (assuming you care about that, and most do).

3. Take care of yourself, physically and psychologically.

For nearly all students, university life entails lots of anxiety. You are anxious about taking charge of your life, about grades and the possibility of failure, about your status or lack of it in the university social scene. If you are like most students, you probably have a bit of impostor syndrome, wondering whether you really belong there. Accept the anxiety as normal, maybe even healthy, but don’t let it overwhelm you. There are ways to control it. When it is acute, deep breathing and mediation help. Learn relaxation techniques. But over the long run you can control anxiety best by truly taking charge of your life.

4. Schedule each day and keep to the schedule.

The schedule gets you started on the paper many days before it is due. You do it a chunk at a time, so it is not so scary. One day you will do a little library research to get a better sense of what you want to write about. The next day you will do more library research to find the most relevant references. And so on. Each step is manageable, not frightening. You get the paper done before the due date and have time to reread it, revise it, maybe ask a friend to critique it, and finally proof it. Then you get a good grade and your anxiety about writing papers goes down.

5. Find ways to engage intellectually with the course contents.

The primary purpose of a university, presumably, is to provide opportunities for intellectual engagement.To be a self-directed university student is to be a scholar, not a pupil. A pupil is someone who thinks their job is to “learn” and that learning means memorizing and feeding back. You might pass your university courses that way, but in the long run you will get nothing out of the experience. A scholar is one who is curious, has questions, and strives in various ways to answer those questions. The trick, in every university course, is to figure out how to be a scholar in that course and not a mere pupil.

6. Write, write, write.

The best academic preparation for university is to learn to write well. After reading a chapter or a book, write out your own thoughts about what was most interesting or informative to you in that chapter or book or any questions it generated in your mind, again in your own words. Such exercises not only improve your writing but also help you consolidate, in a way that you will remember, your own understanding of what you read.”

Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!

Reflection:

What are your thoughts on these tips?

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